Over 30 people were in attendance to hear Dr. Richards give a lecture featuring the histories of Indigenous Peoples and African Americans who were anti-nuclear weapons activists. She led a discussion about human rights and the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, provided an update on the progress for the Treaty, and shared some of the arguments used in the past by Indigenous and African American leaders to “ban the bomb.” She then opened the space to facilitate conversation and listen to concerns among participants about social justice and the current nuclear arms race.

Richards is a historian of science and is currently working on her book manuscript, “Human Rights and Nuclear Wrongs.” She is the Co-PI on the National Science Foundation grant, “Nuclear Environments and the Downwinders Case” and teaches for the School of History, Philosophy and Religion.